Category Archives: Autism Family

My wonderful No.1, is in his own world under the water with Immersion Therapy with a company called ‘Determined 2″ or “D2” for short. A place where the sounds are suspended and the only sound to focus on is the sound of your own heartbeat under the water. He is excited to go and looks forward to it. I believe he likes to wear his wetsuit which is tight and firm pressure sensation for his body. I am so relieved that we found it. It is a place where we can walk under water. His self confidence is getting better and it is great to see. I am so glad we found this organization which meets his sensory needs. It has been a major effort to start this routine and hard on me but I have wanted so much to help him find something that he loves to do and that is his. Something he can relate to and be proud of and perhaps it could turn into an occupational interest down the track.

I am also very happy that my No. 2 Kiddo is finally able to participate in horseriding actrivities through another organization as he loves it and it seems to satisfy the stim that he has and the pressure that he needs when seated on a horse. I originally thought this activity was not possible, but it is and we have found a way to do it and it most likely is something No. 2 Kiddo may like to do all his life. Both boys were riding horses last week. Honestly I think it is one of the best activities to do and learn. I am very pleased. It has been hard work to find these activities that are relevant to my children. I am so very pleased that they are doing them.

I love laughing with my son’s. It’s one of the things I treasure about my family. We all laugh. Laughter is the best medicine to heal all wounds.

It’s absolutely freezing outside right now! I want to create a big marshmellow which is my home. I bought a bag of marshmellows last night for all of us to roast on the fire. The home of my children. With my husband and pets. I want the grandparents and friends to come over on a weekly Sunday morning breakfast. I have this. Immediate family and extended on the weekly catchup brekky.

Most of all I want to create a place where my boys can thrive because I accept you as you are. Where it is ok to be how you are and who you are. Who you are may be different from everybody else and you know what. That’s ok! Whatever differences you have, well I just love it. I can’t do anything else, I just can’t.

The worlds a tough place and home needs to be a spongey trampoline that we can bounce around on and have fun. Because we do. We have so much fun at home. We like our home, sometimes I don’t understand why you don’t want to get out the door to go out, but I do understand that home is the same. I know your need for sameness and your anxiety shows up when things are different. I just want to be Mum, because I love being Mum. All my life I wanted to be Mum and for the last 9 years I finally have been. What a journey of highs and lows. I want to love every minute of it. I want to treasure it and sometimes things are so tough you want to run the other way! But I gotta love that too.

I encourage my son to exercise. My son was telling me the other day, “Mum, it’s so beneficial to play the X-box because you can get this great exercising of your thumbs, it helps with my core functioning!”. My son has been having lots of discussions with his class teachers about how much he wants an x-box, and what an asset an x-box would be at his school. As far as my son is concerned the school needs an x box. You know what! The kid is going to do great at debating because when he gets going you can’t shut him up. I love you son. And while this may be the case! I was referring earlier in the paragraph to him doing pushups and situps to strengthen his whole body.

Santa and Autism? How do you explain the story and marketing hype? We have watched the “Elf” movie with Will Farrell. In the lounge room on a night before Christmas and my 6 yr old son is sitting on the lounge, enraptured with the moment and the story and says “Mum, I am going to stay up all night and wait for Santa Claus to come to our house.” While he looks out the window. And I look at him. I look at his father who believes in telling his children the truth. What a killjoy! I want my son to enjoy the fairytale of christmas and encourage him with whatever he wants to believe and do but as a parent I feel conflicted because I want him to be able to identify reality from the fairytale marketing rubbish where the story of Santa Clause is used to sell toys to parents/kids for money. In his life he must know the difference so he is not clueless. I want him to identify a tall story from a short one.

I look at my beautiful boy and say, “Darling life is full nof stories and the story of Father Christmas, dressed in Santa Suit, flying all over the world, through the air in one night on a sley and reindeer is one of them!” I explain the Santa story defies the laws of physics and is a slick marketing campaign to make people spend their money on products manufactured in warehouses. All of which mean nothing to my boy who, earlier in the year, wanted to fortify his room because he lost a tooth and was scared the tooth fairy was going to come in the night and steal it.

It is my underwstanding there is approximately or more 3400 children with Autism in South Australian Schools. More than 50% of children and students with Autism are enrolled in a school without a specialist unit or specialist education teacher. The Department of Education policy for a mainstream school is to have between 21 and up to 36 students per class with one teacher and a school services officer.

I am feeling raw. I feel like I coudn’t organize a chook raffle! Things are fraying around the edges. I’m starting to get cynical.

What is the bigger message here on the grand scheme of things? Is it to learn to fit in, so the societal machine keeps working? Is it that you have to learn how to deal with your sensory processing issues or else? Or is it that you are doing something if anything so you can fit?

My darling 5 year old child having trouble at mainstream schools. It’s not the child’s fault. It’s not the teacher’s fault. It’s not the principal’s fault. Class sizes and the price tag associated with educating your child is a systemic problem. 5 years old. Autism Diagnosis. There is a policy of inclusion in mainstream schools but can schools provide if resources are already stretched. If classes are too big. If there is not enough attention given for the child with special needs. Is it because of money! I am Mum and advocate for this little Dude!

Do I park money with a limited budget myself, to start a treadmill of tests which will tell us what? Haven’t I done this before? I take him to get his hearing checked. Heavens above! What good will that do? It’s all a matter of perception. A two day suspension disrupts the life of a busy/stressed special needs parent. The little treasure says he gets bored with what the teacher says. So he wanders off. “Be where you are meant to be” is the mantra repeated at school.

I’ve told both of the kiddo’s if there is no school duties for the day/ then there is home duties. As a deterrant! But it seems to be a sweetener!

Each child has a bucket and they put a rocks in bucket for duties completed. A certain number of completed duties. Then they get some free time. Who is familiar with this positive reward training method? Wash the dishes. Wash the clothes. Mow the Lawn,. Take the rubbish out! Thanks kiddo!

Turning myself upside down and inside out to try and make things fit! They don’t. Trying to do all the different suggestions from respective therapists. I’m worn out! Where is the coffee because I am already tired of this crap!

Occupational therapist ($120/wk) says that his sensory needs are met at home as the house has been turned into a play sensory gym as much as possible. Pay more attention to his emotional needs. Well, kiddo is telling me that he hates going to school. How do you deal with that little pearl?

I feel as though I am walking through quicksand! What to do? I guess, we will find out his hearing level from the audiologist ($80 one off appt). Oh yeah, we have to get an IQ test ($100-300 one of appt). I feel as if I’m sending therapist on a holiday to Accapoco. I’m already doing the $167 Psychology, Speech Pathology and $57/wk Social Skills group. Therapy costs a fortune.

It’s Mum’s taxi, on steroids, driving them to this that and the other. Where’s all the money for the petrol coming from! Hold on I’m losing the plot, doing all the driving, here there and everywhere. Co-ordinating school and therapy timetables making sure that therapists all talk and understand the plan of action. I’m not even sure what the Plan Of Action is but I am doing as I am afraid of not doing anything.

The kid is very smart. He is starting to snort like a horse over the last month or two. I have a little trotter running around the house. I wonder if I did assemble a race track around my house if that would do us any good.

I make a booking at Dr’s because maybe he has some difficulty with ears, nose and throat. Knows how to work the teachers. Knows how to not follow the rules of engagement by dancing on the cupboards and table-tops. Knows how to not do what one is told.

Parent: What is the matter child? Kiddo: I don’t want to go to school. How do you tell a 5 year old that they cannot stay at home all day. Chores or else! No problem Mum! It’s a joke! How do you tell kiddo in a way that he understands that as an adult you need to look after yourself/ have time for yourself to exercise/knit/do your thing to stay healthy for them? And also most importantly stand up for yourself.

The 5 yr old kiddo is abit easier to get out the door than his brother. Both anxious when they leave the sanctity of the house. He does not pick up on the rules of engagement. He doesn’t see the social cues. He finds it difficult to understand that the things he does at home, generally, he can’t take transition objects to school. He doesn’t have any emotional attachments to kids or the teachers to make him want to go to school and want to be there.

Having issues with socks: I recommend only giving a choice of two spare socks in bag or else it’s overwhelming/too many choices and heading towards meltdown territory.

Pick your battles

Mum: “Put your socks on!” “I can’t, they don’t feel right!” Mum: “Ok, well you can get another pair of socks from your room.” Kiddo: “No I can’t.” Mum: “Why.” Kiddo: “Because the others don’t feel right Mum.” What to do in this situation? I have to get this kid to school (or so methinks). When he finally decides to put a pair of socks on, he says “Mum, which sock is for the left foot and which sock is for the right foot?” Mum: Oh for Goodness sakes! (for want of a better word!) Mum: “Honey you have 20 pairs of socks and they are all exactly the same.” Kiddo:”No, they aren’t Mum! I know my socks!” , can we make friends with the two black socks, and give them names. (“You would not read about it!” and I can’t help smiling because the socks just got animated in my brain, the socks have the power to make my child’s life suck! You wouldn’t read about it!) 😄 I love you son. (To me they are 20 pairs of exactly the same socks but little do I know that the fibres in these socks, do these socks have names? How do you tell which sock is the left and right sock if both saocks are black, the answer is #Drum roll please! and this is a Zak self regulated solution! One black sock is slightly longer than the other! Who would of thought because I thought the difference was ahow emaciated the socks were and that is how you could work out which pair of sock actually were the one’s that felt right ! They were also the only socks that could be worn for all eternity!

I did learn that popping disco music on and disco/rap dancing while getting dressed is fun and helps them get ready for school. Let’s dance as we forget about sensory.

So today it’s “one of those days!” Where according to best intentions it’s just not going to happen. The too hard basket is the bracket category for today! Is it because it is Monday? I thought, you know what: My son’s socks are no big deal, we can deal with this! It’s no biggy for us! Son: Mum I can’t get up without my Sustagem Dutch choc milk before I put my socks on! Mum and Dad: There is no choc. Oh no! The thought of going down shop 7.30 am not appealing to us. Thinking ahead is what I do to plan day or I do try! There is nothing for it – it’s plain as day, so with a spring in my stride I’m heading down shops to get kid to school and save a meltdown!
We will just get to school when we can, so then school drop off/Walked dog/ off to gym to swim/ have an assessment for gym which is cut short because relization that there is a time clash with another appointment. When we finish the swim and To top it off, it’s raining and my slightly dodgy electronic lock in car, which has seen better days, has just kacked itself! I can’t open car door! The appointment. It’s not happening. You have to laugh!!! Today!